Shaping Places: Building Healthier Lives Together
- RCG
- May 21
- 2 min read
Here at RCG, we believe that no one should go hungry. With the rising cost of living making food insecurity increasingly common, growing and providing food for our community feels more vital than ever. Because of this, we are so proud to have been one of the organisations involved in the Shaping Places for Healthier Lives (SPHL) project: an important four-year initiative to tackle food insecurity across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
Led by Bristol City Council and funded by the Health Foundation in partnership with the Local Government Association, SPHL brought together communities, councils and grassroots organisations like ours to co-create lasting, sustainable solutions to food inequality.
Working alongside partners like Square Food Foundation, Knowle West Alliance and Oasis Hub South, we helped form a strong local project team that brought residents, schools, GPs and community organisations together. With funding and support, we co-developed and delivered community-driven initiatives: from after school cooking clubs and slow cooker programmes to community batch cooking sessions and food support mapping. Parents and children cooked side-by-side, neighbours shared knowledge and families went home with meals, new skills and greater confidence in their cooking abilities.
Why It Mattered
The SPHL project stood out because of its systems approach, recognising that food insecurity isn’t just about hunger; it’s about income, access, education, health and connection. By working collaboratively across these factors, the project could tackle root causes, not just symptoms.
The lasting relationships we've built with residents, fellow organisations and local authorities are already sparking new ideas, spin-off projects and further collaborations that will benefit Knowle and Knowle West well beyond the life of this initiative.
What We’ve Learnt
Investing in relationships is powerful. Taking time to connect meaningfully laid the foundations for real, sustainable change.
Small changes matter: Cooking one meal together, learning one new recipe, connecting with one neighbour – these moments ripple outward.
Community voices must lead: The most impactful initiatives were those that emerged from listening, not imposing.
Looking Forward
As Shaping Places formally concludes, this work doesn’t stop. Redcatch Community Garden remains committed to this journey by continuing initiatives like our weekly free Welcoming Spaces lunch and working with local organisations and individuals to tackle food insecurity in Knowle and beyond.
We’re incredibly grateful to have been part of this project and we thank each local person, organisation and funder who helped make it happen. A special thank you to Clare Daley, whose dedication and coordination were vital to the success of this work.
For more on the SPHL programme and its final report, visit Shaping Places for Healthier Lives – Final Report 2025.
There is also a PDF Version that you can download/read below:
We thank you for your continued support and hope to see you at the Garden soon! 💚
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